Life and Love

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Terry Polakovic. Life and Love

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“Terry Polakovic has long been one of our most respected teachers on the nature and dignity of women. In her new book, Life and Love, she offers an insightful reading of more than a century of papal teachings on marriage and family. As we approach the fiftieth anniversary of Pope Paul VI’s Humanae Vitae, Polakovic provides a timely reminder that the Church’s teachings are not about rules and regulations, but about opening our hearts to God and trusting his beautiful plan for our lives.”

— Archbishop José H. Gomez, archbishop of Los Angeles

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Because Christ raised marriage to the dignity of a sacrament, the Church has always claimed exclusive authority over it while allowing civil authorities to regulate the civil concerns and consequences of marriage. If we look at marriage through the lens of history, we see that for centuries the Church exercised that authority, and civil authorities submitted to it.

By the nineteenth century, however, human frailty and downright disobedience, as reflected in relaxed divorce laws, became more common and more acceptable. The reins of Christian restraint in family life began to loosen. This opened the door to a power grab by civil authorities, who were poised to dismiss the Church’s authority over the marriage contract. These same authorities began to sow seeds of discontent by suggesting that the marriage contract was not a sacrament at all, and that the civil contract and the sacrament were two separate and distinct things.

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